walker saga 07 - earth (23 page)

The first world to form was in fact called First World, and it would be the mother planet to all others created in this range of star systems. The inhabitants of First World would be the wisest and most benevolent of beings, and from this energy six other planets would eventually emerge.

At first everything went according to the plan of the Gods. The seven original Walkers formed an alliance with the Seventine, and they all worked together to influence the tides of change across the seven worlds. They balanced good and evil, both sides possessing foresight and a maturity which was lacking in the newly formed inhabitants of the worlds.

But, as always, all things will change and over time a thread of arrogance grew in the fourteen original powers. They became obsessed with power, controlling not only their Walker clans, but also the inhabitants of the seven worlds. They believed themselves to be Gods, that they knew better, and that free will should no longer be trusted to such primitive species.

But they were not Gods and in fact they still had to answer to the Gods, who were growing frustrated with the mess the Walkers were creating. However, the Gods had not realized that the fourteen had grown much too powerful. They could not be defeated or destroyed. So the Gods planted the first seeds of mistrust between the Seventine and the originals. Pitting them against each other. Fighting between brother and friend.

In the end, the originals took the steps to lock away the Seventine, and in doing so lost themselves. The worlds have never recovered from their loss of leadership. Darkness was all too prevalent.

The Gods waited, biding their time for the moment when they could bring back the originals. And they hoped this time they had the strength of will and character to not falter under their burden, to not crave that which was not theirs to crave. They needed the perfect blend of races and power. The Walker side made them strong and their other half kept them grounded.

They had been waiting for the half-Walker females. They are the last attempt to save the star system. Should they not succeed then all will be lost. All worlds will be destroyed. There will be no free energy for anything to be reborn. The Gods will wash their hands of these worlds. No second chances …

I wasn’t sure at what point I started to regain consciousness, but the story of the gods continued to write itself across my mind. I devoured the information, thirsty for any knowledge which might help in this battle. I knew some of the story, of course, but there was new information there. Had the Gods truly been the ones to create discord amongst the originals and Seventine? They’d deliberately started a war.

I finally opened my eyes, blinking a few times to figure out what the hell was happening. I blinked a bit more, but – I could see nothing. I was in some sort of massive expanse of white, as if I stood on a blank piece of paper that was waiting for me to write something across it. I stared around, squinting into the distance.
Wait.
Was that some sort of shadow out there in the distance? Could it be the other girls? Had we all been dropped here into this land of stark whiteness? What had happened to us?

I tried to recall the last thing I remembered. I found Eva … we went back to First World … but what had happened in the dark mountain? More hazy memories filtered across … that’s right, the Seventine were there and we’d tried to join our power for the first time. The energy had exploded between us. I dropped my gaze to see the red lace marks pulsing away. I was strangely relieved about that. I think I’d be a little devastated if they disappeared now.

“Abby!”

The shout had me shifting around to find there were more shadows in the whiteness. I strode forward, and then I was running. Full strides, as fast as my legs would take me. I felt no shortness of breath, no cramping of muscles or even a stretching sensation to indicate I was pushing myself. It was as if there were no weaknesses here. Which was kind of cool.

Talina came into sight first, her emerald hair a wash of color in this stark environment. Tribal marks pulsed across her skin as her wide brown eyes locked on to me in a sort of tense desperation.

“Are you hearing voices in your head?” she gasped out as we collided in a hug. “A strange tale about the origins of the star system.”

“Yes,” I said, vigorously nodding my head. “I only just woke up, but that story was going round and round in my head.” I pulled back, wondering what was different about her. Then it hit me. “Talli … your marks?”

Why the heck were her marks on her skin? There was no moonstale around. I even double-checked that my necklace had not fallen open, but it was shut up tight.

Her doe-shaped eyes flicked down. The thin filmy lens which sometimes covered them shimmered for a moment but didn’t drop.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “Is there moonstale here that we can’t see?”

There wasn’t; the yellow light would be immediately obvious against the white. Noise from behind had us both spinning around; it was the other girls.

Their stunningly unique features had never been more obvious than in that moment. In this world where there was no competition for color or contrast.

Delane’s black wings stood high and glinting. Sapha’s purple hair and midnight skin were striking. Ria’s mahogany mane filled with tendrils of ivy vines. Fury with skin of red and hair of white. And lastly Eva. Her blond hair had never appeared more golden or silk-like.

“They’re all wearing marks,” Talina said.

She was right. Every single one of them had their clan marks on display. A thought flittered through my mind.

“Do you think the marks are permanent for all the halves now?” I mused out loud. “Something happened to us when we joined. The power exploded from us and I blacked out. Now we’re here and our marks are on display. Where the heck are we?”

Fury reached us, throwing herself at me. “Great question, Supes.” Her hug was tight and I could feel the slightest tremble of her limbs. “What the freaking heck is this place. It’s creepy.”

“Word,” I said.

The other females did not say much, but on instinct we fell in back-to-back, making sure that our circle was complete.

“Should we move somewhere?” Delane held axe-style weapons in her hands. She stayed further forward from the group, just so her wings didn’t rip us to shreds. “Staying put doesn’t feel like the best thing to do.”

“Has anyone tried to trace?” Ria was the voice of reason.

I realized I hadn’t, and immediately reached for a tether on First World. I pictured the entrance to the dark mountain. But there was nothing to grasp. This had happened to me once before in pixie land, so I knew a doorway wouldn’t work either. I still tried it, though, just in case.

“Can all of you trace?” Eva’s golden eyes narrowed on me. “You didn’t tell me that, Abby.”

I wrinkled my nose, trying to look innocent. “I didn’t? Must have slipped my mind.”

Fury barked out a few harsh coughs of laughter. “Supes doesn’t like to give you skittish half-Walkers a chance to escape from her. She waits with the tracing information until she feels you’re more committed.”

“I still don’t know how to trace,” Sapha said with a shrug. “I don’t care.”

Eva frowned. “Well, I care, and you’ll be showing me as soon as possible.”

I nodded, reaching out a hand so we could shake on it. The Earth half understood my gesture.

“It’s a deal,” I said.

We both grinned then and things felt okay.

A bark drew my attention, and my heart swelled as my sacred animal bounded into sight. Where had Cerberus come from? Seriously, there was nothing to hide behind in here, just a long white expanse for as far as the eye could see. White floor, white ceiling – just white, white, white everywhere.

All of us faced Cerberus, and I could see relieved smiles cross the other girl’s faces when they noticed their sacred guides had followed the hellhound. Apollo, the water dragon; Crete, the fluffy little kitten; Sass, the massive anaconda; Lina, the unicorn; Nandia, the phoenix; and then finally, a new member.

“That last animal is going to be yours, Eva,” I said.

I could feel her focus intensify as she craned her neck to see better. In fact, we were all straining to catch a glimpse of the last sacred animal. When finally the group moved close enough for us to see clearly, my breath caught in my throat.

Amazing!

I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but at a guess it was a mix of a yeti and a wolf. Standing on two legs, it was at least seven feet tall and was covered in a dense fur that was all shades of blond, gold and silver. It almost glowed in the white space. The face was definitely wolf-like, but with a little too much humanoid blended in to be completely animal. It had front paws where we had hands.

“What the hell is that?” Sapha said as she backed up.

Eva wasn’t afraid. Just like the rest of us, she was drawn to her creature. “It’s like the lycans in that vampire movie. You know that really old one, Abby?”

Right.
She was from Earth and knew movies. I even remembered the specific one she spoke of. It was one of the last I’d seen before the end of the technological age. Her animal did look a lot like a lycan, now that she had pointed it out.

“Yes,” I said, “that’s exactly what he looks like.”

This sacred animal’s energy felt masculine.

Eva slowly edged away from our group, her sword still in the back scabbard; she was not scared in the slightest.

The rest of the animal guides broke formation each to stand beside their half-walker – I gave Cerberus a few energetic pats and ear scratches – and the lycan made his way up to the blond half-human.

They stared at each other for a few moments, before he lowered his wolf-like muzzle and allowed her to reach for his head. At the first moment of contact, there was the usual outward burst of energy. Hair and fur flew all around, before settling back down.

“I can feel him!” Eva was more animated than I’d ever seen her. “His name is Lugi, and he’s created from human fear. A combination of beast and monster.”

Lugi towered over Eva, but didn’t make her seem small. He was fascinating to look at, but then, so were the rest of the sacred creatures. I was so happy they were with us, but the question of the day: what were we all doing here?

“Hey, Supes, do you think our marks are permanent now?” Fury could barely contain the excitement in her voice. “I mean, I know we’re currently in the middle of the freaking white world, and who knows what’s happening back on First World with the Seventine scumbuckets … but for reals, permanent marks.”

Fury had been jealous of my ability to wear the red lace permanently since I’d first met her. Maybe her wish was about to come true.

“I have no idea! Maybe it’s just in this place that all the marks are permanent. Or maybe something happened when we joined for the first time.”

You are right and wrong. Which is always the way with mortals.

The voice was disembodied, and it seeped out of the whiteness to surround us.

The seven of us turned and craned our necks, but there was no other living thing in sight. Just long expanses of white.

“Who are you?” I finally said.

My half-Walkers tightened ranks, leaving almost no space between the seven of us. The sacred animals didn’t seem concerned, though, which gave me a slight sense of relief.

I am everything, and also nothing. I was there at the beginning and will be in the end. I have been known by many names, but for now, you can call me the Mother of All.

Holy shit in a storm. It was the God of the Walkers. The one they prayed to. The one who had created the very worlds we were trying to save.

Light burst in long streaming arcs from somewhere to the right side of me. I had to blink a few times it was so blinding. When finally it cleared, there was a female standing there, a softly glowing mirage around her. She moved immediately, making her way toward us. As she came closer, it was even more difficult to look upon her fully. She was a kaleidoscope of colors, interweaving across her clothes and skin.

If you asked me to describe her, it would be an impossible task. There was no way to tell her skin, eye or hair color. Her height was a mystery and I couldn’t seem to focus on even one defining feature. But her power was unmistakable. Intense. Breath-stealing. It was beyond anything I’d felt on any world and it was almost suffocating me with its immenseness.

She stopped about ten feet from our group. I thought she wore a white sheath, but there was no way to know for sure. Everything about her changed, even as she remained stationary.

“Welcome to my realm.” Her voice was like an echoing crash of melodic bells. But with deep undertones of bass.

I tried to clear my throat, say something, but I found that I was at a loss. None of the other girls said anything either, not even Fury, who always had something to say.

“You are probably wondering why I have brought you here. Why I have interfered in the battle of mortals. Something which I have never done before.”

Well, yeah, I was definitely wondering that.

“There have been some who interfered in that which was not theirs to interfere in. Balance was lost. I am simply trying to make sure it is restored.”

I exchanged a glance with Fury, and Delane also caught my eye. We were all wearing the same expression: wide eyes, rapid blinking, slightly parted lips. Shock tinged with a lick of hope. Was the Mother of All going to place a weapon in our hands? Was this the turning point we needed in the war?

“You were about to lose. The Seventine have energy from Earth and Spurn, more than enough to free the last of their brothers. And none of you were strong enough. The first joining of your seven powers knocked you down, wrenched your souls from your bodies for enough time that I could grab them. I have brought you here to my realm. Time will move slowly on First World. You will have these moments to strengthen yourselves, to learn how to control the seven original energies you are blessed with.”